Avenida
Though the sun beats down harshly upon your back, as you enter the town, you are greeted by the sight of a river of people moving as one through the streets, with numerous serious-looking men and women in armour standing out among them. Avenida is a large town situated in the deserts of southern Laurasia, and is the home of Alejandra. The village began as a military outpost for a sizeable regiment of the southerners' armed forces, but grew significantly to accomodate the influx of soldiers' families. Now, the town is recognized as a bastion of commerce and military might in the harsh desert lands, and home to numerous blacksmiths, healers and veteran soldiers of great renown. Though there is also a sizeable fellowship of followers of Sarenrae, the supremacy of the armed forces in the town in terms of both size and civil authority is unquestioned. The town's design and administration was originally overseen by a number of high-ranking soldiers, and to this day it remains a tradition for long-time servicemembers to be given positions of authority in the town, often as lawmen or council members. The family names of some of the town's first generals and administrators, among them Almares, Luciento, and Vargas, still hold a lot of credence among the townsfolk. Other families have grown to be exceptionally large, and they are said to be connected to the charismatic heroes of the battlefields of the past. Names like Medias and Rogaceu are common to possibly hundreds of inhabitants. While the military base is quite sizeable and forms the center of the town, the civilian homes are generally very small and tightly packed together. The uniformity of building materials and construction styles, mandated by the military, also lends the streets of Avenida a surprising uniformity of style. Though the town is mostly self-sufficient, water is considered a valuable resource and is rationed in times of famine. Iron mineral springs can be seen in and around the town, and are used for bathing in the case of lower-temperature springs, and cooking in the case of high-temperature springs. This type of water is not potable, but it may be purified by priests of Sarenrae for the benefit of the townspeople. The clergy handle most of the medical work within the town, and there is a significant overlap between members of the clergy and members (or former members) of the army. However, full-time priests are also tasked with performing numerous other charitable and civic duties, including managing a sizeable orphanage (where Alejandra was raised), as well as a soup kitchen that often helps families who have lost loved ones to war. As there is little space for temples, priests often hold daytime services in the streets from the rooftops of their homes, and their sermons frequently deal with subjects such as warfare, honour, and generally end with large communal prayers in which they express a desire to see loved ones return safe from the battlefield. Though religious presences apart from Sarenrae's exist within the town, the other religious groups do not benefit from the high levels of collusion between the army and the Sarenrae-worshippers. The town primarily exports crafted fineries, arms, and spices at high prices, and while taxation is considerable, the streets of the town are considered safe twenty-four hours a day due to the constant military presence. Despite its position outside the wall, Avenida is considered a very secure town to live in, and has never been attacked directly, even by the encroaching hobgoblin forces. Criminal behaviours are very harshly punished, and exile is considered one of the harsher punishments, given the low survival rate of people forced to leave Avenida for the deserts beyond. Colonel Boyd and General Wilson have both visited the town, and in the rest of the ULDF it has earned a reputation as a hellish place to be posted, given a combination of high temperature and the locals' habit of outfitting their soldiers with full-plate. Greetings in Avenida Those who have seen Alejandra interact with others have also seen her rather unique bow, which she often uses as a greeting. It is commonly used by the military forces of Avenida, where it is considered a sign of affirmation, a form of greeting, and a salute. To perform it, the right hand must be closed into a fist with the thumb on the outside of the index finger and the palm facing down, and the left hand must be placed over the fist with the heel of the palm pressing into the center of the fist so that the fingers of the left hand cover the back of the right hand. The two hands must then be positioned between the sternum and the neckline, and the hands must never roll towards or away from the person to whom one bows, so a slight twist of the wrists is needed to keep the sign parallel to the ground. The performance of the sign is thus somewhat simple, but it is drilled into new recruits who are often punished for doing it incorrectly, thus it quickly becomes second nature to perform it perfectly as a matter of course, or on command. When assuming a form of supplication, such as when speaking to a superior officer or as a sign of great respect, the person performing the bow usually drops to one knee before lowering their heads. It is meant to cultivate a sense of both deference and readiness, and represents the strength of the individual, whose left hand controls the sword-swinging right arm in the service of the army. There is a variant for members of the clergy, which is identical in terms of the shape the hands make, but it is instead held with the backs of the hands facing the person to whom the bow is being performed, and the hands are generally held lower, somewhere between the bottom of the sternum and the belly button. When assuming a stance of supplication, the person performing it generally drops to both knees, though this is rare even among the clergy, and is often used only when addressing the most senior members of the Church or people to whom individual clergymen are highly indebted. Sandstone Wall Once a tomb for only the most famously-known generals, the Sandstone Wall of Avenida is now a war memorial and burial ground for the thousands of soldiers who have fallen in battle over the nigh-eternal campaign against the hobgoblins. The tomb complex has multiple entrances and passages, but the wall facing the city is used as the memorial space where the names of the deceased are written. Large families tend to request space on the wall for future members of their extended family, and it is not uncommon for close friends or married couples in the army to include a request to their next of kin in their wills that their names be placed beside each other. The wall of white text carved into the red stone thus forms a web of family histories and relationships within Avenida that has even been the subject of, and cited as a source in, scholarly research into the history of the town. Any attempt to deface the memorial is considered an extremely heinous public offence. Julio Rogaceu's name is also on the wall, tucked in amongst the names of others who share his family name. The man responsible for his death, Enicio Vargas, has now also been interred here. Category:Civilization